There has been a continuing need for pile fabrics and lanate materials having a high degree of flexibility, elasticity, bulk and strength and which may be manufactured at a low cost. This need has persisted in spite of the fact that such fabrics could readily be utilized to manufacture a wide variety of garments of both the disposable type, such as disposable work wear and disposable diapers, or the durable type, such as pants, dresses, blouses and sporting wear, for example, sweat suits. Further, such fabrics could also be utilized in, for example, upholstery, drapery, and liner applications. Lanate materials have a woolly or fleecy structure which may be particularly well suited in applications where insulation properties are desired.
In some situations, the value of the pile fabric or lanate material relates to the density at which the fibrous materials are attached to the substrate as well as the overall flexibility and elasticity of the material. Pile fabrics and lanate materials having high densities of fibrous materials typically have richer surface textures and greater market value.
Pile fabrics and lanate materials may be formed by attaching fibrous materials such as, for example, fibers or fiber bundles to a substrate. Fibers may be inserted into a substrate utilizing processes such as, for example, mechanical needling. In some situations, pile fabrics may be formed by adhering fibers onto the surface of a substrate utilizing flocking techniques. Pile fabrics and lanate materials may also be formed by tufting or stitchbonding fiber bundles, such as, for example, yarns or threads into a substrate.
While pile fabrics and lanate materials having a high density of attached fibrous materials often have a pleasing surface appearance and feel, such fabrics may be so stiff so that the fabric is unsuitable for applications where flexibility and suppleness are desirable. For example, fabrics that are stiff and inflexible will conform poorly to the body of a wearer or to an item and are unsuitable for some apparel and upholstery applications.
When pile fabrics and lanate materials are made by attaching fibrous materials to a substrate utilizing mechanical needling, the density at which the fibrous materials may be attached to the substrate is limited by the distance between the mechanical needles. The density at which the fibrous materials are attached to the substrate may be increased by subjecting the fibrous materials and substrates to multiple passes through the mechanical needling apparatus. However, multiple passes result in matted, highly entangled materials that, in most situations, have low bulk and are essentially nonelastic. Post entanglement stretching may be used to return some elasticity to such composites, but such stretching may reduce the strength and durability of the composite material.
An elastic laminate material may be made by mechanically needling a coherent nonwoven web of textile fibers to an elastic substrate only at spaced-apart locations. One such laminate material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,189 to Romanek which discloses that a nonwoven textile fabric layer and a layer of generally elastic material are superposed and needlepunched to secure the fabric layer to the layer of generally elastic material at a plurality of needle punch locations each spaced a predetermined distance from the next adjacent needle punch location. The needle punched layers are drafted in at least one direction to permanently stretch the nonwoven textile fabric layer where it is not joined to the elastic layer. The superposed layers are allowed to relax so the elastic layer returns to substantially its original dimensions and the bulk of the stretched nonwoven textile fabric is increased between the needle punched locations.
A hydroentangled elastic nonwoven fabric may be made by stretching an elastic substrate in at least one direction before the elastic substrate is hydraulically entangled with a preformed fibrous web. A hydroentangled elastic fabric is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,579 to Hagy et al. and may be prepared by stretching an elastic meltblown continuous filament web in at least one direction prior to hydraulic entanglement with a preformed web of wood pulp and absorbent staple length fibers.